Keshena man sentenced in sexual assault case

A Keshena man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 16 years and eight months in prison followed by 20 years’ supervised release for abusive sexual contact with a minor. Ricki A. Mahkimetas Jr., 25, pleaded guilty in June to having sexual contact with an 8-year-old girl he was babysitting in August 2017 while other minor children were in the same residence. Mahkimetas’ supervisory role over the child constituted the abusive component of the charge. Mahkimetas denied having sexual contact with a child when interviewed by Menominee Tribal Police in late September 2017. He was arrested in October on tribal charges for similar alleged child sexual conduct and remained in custody. In December, a federal grand jury in Milwaukee indicted him on a child sex charge. That was amended later to add two more alleged child victims.